The holidays are here, bringing with them the annual boost in retail purchases. According to a recent survey, around 40 percent of U.S. consumers are ready to increase their spending this season, and the tech industry in particular is sure to see a lot of that business. If you’ll be catering to electronics consumers in the coming weeks, take advantage of these simple tips to make sure your holidays are merry and profitable.

1 Get started early.

If you can, begin laying out ideas and campaigns well ahead of the holidays. The season accelerates quickly, especially in the tech industry, so it’s best to have a plan in place before you’re overwhelmed. If you’re planning to launch the latest version of a device, for example, make sure you’ve adequately allocated resources to keep up with the demand.

2 Develop holiday sales.

As you’re mapping out your business’s holiday strategy, consider developing a few special seasonal promotions. Once you’ve decided on the deals you’ll offer, spread the word as much as possible. The goal here is to show your customer your brand’s value, while offering an extra incentive for them to purchase over the holidays.

3 Take advantage of email.

If you already have an email list, you’re ahead of the game. If you don’t, now is the perfect time to start building one. Email can be an invaluable resource in the tech industry, as the bulk of your target audience will already be receptive to this kind of marketing. Overall, it’s a great way to keep customers aware of your business, whether you’re using it to push special promotions or to simply wish customers a happy holiday season.

4 Use social media.

As with email, social media is a practical way to keep your target customers informed of sales throughout the duration of the holidays. It also provides a platform to bring a bit of personality to your brand. If you can regularly engage with your customers — while maintaining a consistent experience across all of your social media accounts — you’ll be amazed at the number of conversions you can make.

5 Connect with consumers.

The holidays are an emotional time. Take advantage of this by bringing some sentimental value to your advertising. Does your tech help people connect? If so, remind your audience how important that connection is during the winter season. And whatever you do, be as genuine as possible — most consumers are savvy enough to tell the difference between true emotion and a marketing ploy.

6 Enhance audience experience.

Make sure that your promotional copy and content employ clear calls to action. Customers are often shopping quickly and don’t want to be held up by trying to figure out how or where to buy your product. This also means you’ll need to optimize any online resources for as many devices as possible. Clear instructions and user-friendly interfaces generate more transactions — the less work a shopper has to do to make a purchase, the happier they’ll be.

7 Remarket Product

The holiday shopping season does mean that more consumers are prepared to make purchases, but you shouldn’t rely exclusively on that tendency. Some shoppers won’t be persuaded to buy the first time they visit your site. For those trickier conversions, remarket to keep your product at the forefront of consumers’ thoughts. If you do it right, you’ll make your company the go-to when it comes time to buy.

8 Stuff some stockings.

Don’t be afraid to give away some goodies as part of your holiday promotions. Social media giveaways and contests can draw a lot of new attention from potential buyers — particularly among more tech-savvy audiences. You might be surprised at how willing and eager shoppers are to sign up for a shot at a free new tablet or phone.

9 Share everything.

When designing your holiday campaigns, make sure your messages are easy to share. Up to 74 percent of consumers rely on word-of-mouth recommendations when making purchases, with many of those recommendations happening online. That’s a lot of potential advertising — and all you have to do to tap into it is make sure your campaigns include share buttons or can be easily forwarded.

10 Make deals online.

Depending on the type of tech you sell, there’s no doubt that a lot of your consumers are comfortable with — and maybe even prefer — online shopping. In fact, the estimated total online spend for last year’s holiday season was around $89 billion. By highlighting online deals, you’re likely to see a bigger portion of that impressive sum than you would otherwise.

These tips will set you in the right direction when preparing for the holidays, but they won’t do much if you don’t have the technical support necessary to follow up with customers and transactions. If you’re worried about managing extra holiday traffic, don’t hesitate to do some additional online research for resources and solutions. | Images via Shutterstock

Alice Williams has an MA in Communication Studies and a passion for wellness. She started Honestly Fitness, a health and fitness blog, to share sustainable ways to live a happy and healthy life. In addition to wellness, she enjoys writing about business, social media and of course, tech.